Showing posts with label Theories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Theories. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 3, 2024

Hazbin Hotel thoughts (spoilers)


Fandom pet peeves

Some fans confuse the story in the Bible with the show's version. Whatever information Hazbin Hotel tells us is all we should take in. Wait for the show to reveal more but for now:
1. Lucifer wasn't tricking Eve
2. A group of angels created Earth
3. Lucifer only had Lilith sent to Hell with him

In the Bible:
1. Lucifer tricked Eve
2. God created Earth
3. Lucifer had an army of angels backing him and were sent to Hell with him

It's fun to theorize stuff in the Bible that might come up in the show but can we understand that this show is loosely based on the Bible, please? It's annoying watching someone rant about something that happened in the Bible, thinking it also happened in the show.

Just really listen to what the show is telling you. The show is trying to be original but a lot of you want to keep it in a box. The fandom is so aggressive with pushing their theories as facts. Maybe Lucifer and Lilith are lying about their side of story to Charlie but until stated otherwise that's a theory.


Annoying fans keep talking about levels of strength when it's explained differently in the show: Angel Dust says, "just don't hurt her" to Valentino to show just how powerful he is. He's playing nice because of her dad but Angel Dust was still scared for her so the show is telling us that Valentino could've hurt her if he wanted to. 

It's obviously not worth attacking Lucifer's daughter but he was getting mad and might not have been able to control his anger for long. We've seen how hot-headed he gets in episode 2. Angel Dust didn't want Valentino to see her, he wasn't worried about himself, he was worried for her the whole time. 

That is what I got from that episode and that is all I need because it's good writing that way. Fans forget that ideas and lore changes when new writers join the team. So, the information only matters if it comes from the show. I shouldn't have to follow the creator on social media to fully understand power levels and how the rules work in a show.

Because who do I believe now?
A. Angel Dust telling us that Valentino can hurt Charlie? (And Adam about to kill her if he wasn't stopped by Lucifer)?

Or:
B. The fans sharing that the creator said online that Charlie and her parents are the strongest characters? 

I'm gonna go with option A because I have to see it or hear it in the show to believe it. Otherwise:


Maybe season 2 can clear this up because if it was something as simple as Angel Dust and Charlie doesn't know her own strength, the show needs to tell us that. But it hasn't. Yes, it still has time to do so but for now, it's canon that Adam and Valentino are stronger than Charlie. Valentino didn't flinch when Charlie charged at him with her horns coming out. He didn't give a fuck.

And there's a difference between her strength and her potential. I'm talking about her strength because no shit she can become powerful, she's Lucifer's daughter. But at the moment, she seems beatable. Her dad is her shield from demons attacking her. And I like that. (I like when characters aren't overpowered like DBZ characters.)

The show is a better way to learn background information and world building than from a tweet or blog post. The author for Harry Potter kept tweeting extra character info that wasn't in the books and fans felt it was a cheap way to do it. (I never read Harry Potter but I agree it's lazy to add lore like that.)

Come out with an official comic book, novel, movie or videogame if you want to share lore that doesn't flow well with the show. Don't tweet, blog or say extra info in interviews.... actually prove it!

Cyberpunk 2077 came out with extra lore adding to their game by making comic books, an anime and a novel. The audiobook is read by the voice actor who plays Female V. Those are good ways to add extra information to the series. 

It was amazing learning how powerful Adam was and we learn that angels fight recklessly because they are used to being indestructible. That's why it's so easy to kill a lot of them when they don't even try to dodge because they think they don't need to. How they are killed was a mystery until now.

That's such a good way to make it believable that demons now stand a chance after all those years. Because demons are used to having to dodge each other, they are better fighters than the angels automatically ๐Ÿ‘Œ



"By relation, Charlie is also more powerful than Adam." that's not how the show made it seem ๐Ÿ‘€ Adam had her before Lucifer saved her. So, I'm gonna go ahead and trust the show. Adam was killed by Niffty. So, I'm pretty sure other characters can kill Charlie too if she wasn't protecting herself fully like how Adam wasn't.

Accept what the show is giving us because the comics and background information were deleted for a reason. Maybe it's not canon anymore or is being updated. 

I do think it's fun that the creator could put stuff in the show as Easter eggs for long time fans who knew the old lore. But you all need to be open minded to their backgrounds being rewritten.

Maybe that's not Angel Dust's sister in Heaven. Maybe it's just an Easter egg.
Maybe Alastor didn't get shot in the head. Maybe the "x" is just an Easter egg.

Just chill with the old lore to new fans. Give the show time to tell us the backstory instead of spoiling or misleading the mystery for us. Ya'll force this information on us when we didn't ask. 


Annoying fans telling reaction channels to watch the pilot on Youtube first... But if it was important it would've been in the official season. 

The show did respect the pilot by making it take place a week after it but all the information we get from the pilot is repeated in the show. 

The pilot is better after watching the show. That way you care enough about seeing how the characters met after getting attached to them. Because it's not extra information, it's the same information told by different characters. 

I think the first episode on Amazon Prime is a perfect attention grabber to the series. The Youtube pilot is just for fans to look up if they want fanservice. Which I did. I loved it but I wouldn't have loved it as much if I watched it first. (Also, Angel Dust doesn't tell Mimzy that he already heard Alastor's backstory from Vaggie. So...the pilot isn't canon but it is worth watching! Just AFTER watching the main story.)

Watching the pilot first would ruin the reveal of Alastor's power and past in episode 5, after hearing his past we see a hint of who he was when he threatens Husk. Thankfully I experienced Hazbin Hotel fully on Amazon Prime before looking into the fandom. 

(Also, since Mimzy knew him while she was alive why didn't she talk about that? She could've tried and list all the reasons why he's so powerful in Hell based on what he did on Earth. The pilot makes her kinda useless...) "You like taking care of me." Mimzy could've shared stories about that! But the show wanted her to retell his past so fans didn't have to watch the pilot.

If they wanted fans to check it out, they would've had Angel Dust summarize what he heard from Vaggie and ask about Alastor on Earth instead.

Fandom love

I thought about starting this post off with some love but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense to start with a few rants. I talk about my love for Hazbin Hotel all the time with my friend.
But I have no one to fully rant to without being a killjoy, so some of that frustration I wanted to get out right away before talking about how much I love it.

I get so happy finding someone who loves the Vees as much as I do! 




The more I rewatched Hazbin Hotel, the more I loved Valentino as a villain and now I want merch of him:




I loved Adam mocking Charlie. I love anytime a show can laugh at "the power of love/friendship" mindset. Even if it's proving it right. I appreciate the jab. It's fun to laugh at her being goodie-goodie. I warmed up to her character after rewatching a lot but she was so cringy at first.


I found a lot of Japanese artists on Twitter that love their crackships ๐Ÿงก I've bought 31 doujinshi from this site. 



I watched someone in Japan react to the show and it was fun watching along with him! And I found a channel where a Japanese fan translates the English text found throughout the show and translating the lyric changes in the English audio and the Japanese audio.

It's so fun to see Japanese fans take interest in our slang and idioms all because of this show!


I love Sera coming off a bit Yandere ๐Ÿ’–

I love how complex her character is. She doesn't seem like she a heartless bitch when she says it was a hard decision. But the fact that she states that she cares more about the people in Heaven is so exciting because I'm imagining her as a strong enemy.

I love selfish characters who think the end justifies the means. Like, Erwin Smith from Attack on Titan or Renegade Shepard from Mass Effect, doing whatever it takes to win the war.

If Adam comes back and gets a second chance, I hope Sera doesn't when she gets taken down. Not every character needs to be redeemed. I know it can be good when done well but sometimes redeeming a villain makes them boring. Imagine Lalo Salamanca from Better Call Saul being redeemed....

I love fanart of Adam overpowering Alastor:


So delicious seeing people realize the jerk is actually strong. Even if Alastor's power is locked/limited, it was fun watching him lose. And I like Alastor more because of that! I'm not a fan when cool characters are always cool. I like when they have weak and embarrassing moments.

 
Hazbin Hotel > Helluva Boss



I tired to like it more but it's just a 2 out of 5 stars for me. I think I should've watched Helluva Boss first because going from Hazbin Hotel to Helluva Boss felt like a downgrade. 

I really hope that Hazbin Hotel continues to ignore Helluva Boss. Easter eggs are fun but any stronger connections than that would make Earth feel so cheap. If Hazbin Hotel ever shows Earth, I would like it to be more serious than it is in Helluva Boss ๐Ÿคž

I hate thinking that while characters are dealing with angels and trying to better themselves and building bonds, there are demons in other rings that can escape to Earth and kill as many humans as possible without the angels stopping them......

It cheapens death; it doesn't seem that bad to die if you can just return and experience Earth anyways. All you have to do is work for the main character and you'll have that option.

Hazbin Hotel is a comedy too but not as much of a gag like Helluva Boss.
It reminds me of Family Guy, Happy Tree Friends or Looney Tunes. 
While Hazbin Hotel is more like The Boys or Barry. 

Hazbin Hotel gives the bitchy character a good fucking song that goes hard and gives her good points to throw out that even if fans hate her they can't say she didn't win that showdown.

She and her boys sit back, relax and wait for the others to be weakened. I love well written smug characters. Make them be worth hating and be worth the power they have over others!


Meanwhile, Helluva Boss gives the bitchy character a stupid, bratty, one-dimensional personality that forces us to hate her. And it's just to give the husband character a pass to cheat on her because most fans can't handle loving morally grey characters.

Him being a cheater made him interesting but having his wife be a unsympathetic character cheapened him for me. I wanted to feel conflicted! I wanted to understand, root for and be mad at both characters. But it took that from me. Why even have him married at all if there wasn't going to be complicated feelings like there was in Beef?

Velvette takes the word "bitch" and empowers it by calling herself one, making her instantly interesting. We all thought when that song started that she was going to be put in her place but she stood her ground and showed us that she's a smart brat with style ๐Ÿ˜˜





I don't agree with everything this person said but I get what they're talking about. And I think it's bullshit that people seem to take their post as hate. This is clearly a fan who is being critical of the show they love. It's annoying other fans can't understand that.

We rant, nitpick and complain because it's part of the fun to nerding out. We want to see something we like do better! 

Yes, there are assholes that love to shit on stuff just to piss people off by triggering them but this post isn't giving that energy. At all.

They're wanting to be a geek and rant with other fans who are being chill about it. (It's possible to have a polite debate and understanding each other's points and feelings. You all should try it.)



Vox saying "And that wasn't the first fucking thing you told me?!" Hits hard too. So, I get what their saying but I didn't have a problem with Helluva Boss swearing more randomly than Hazbin Hotel. Because I'm used to it not cheapening a joke thanks to South Park. It only depends how the character emphasizes the word.

Vox said "fuck" when having to leave his chair and we hear Velvette and Valentino say it earlier that same episode too. But in the moment Vox says it to Valentino, it stood out more than the other times it's said because he was seen as a calm character until then.

So, in that context, it doesn't matter how many times the show has them swearing because it will always have ways to make certain swear words stand out.

(See how easy it is to disagree with someone without being a bitch about it? This person was downvoted too much just for sharing their opinion in a very polite way. They may as well have been rude and blunt about it to earn the downvotes.)
 


Exactly. I wish fans would understand this. There's a difference when a hater shits on it and when a fan shits on it. 

I loved the first two episodes of Helluva Boss but then it went downhill for me. I liked moments sprinkled throughout the rest of the episodes (otherwise I wouldn't have kept watching) but that's it. 

It's like Family Guy: I can love clips of that show but not full episodes. 

The main characters are so overpowered that I never have to worry about them. Episodes where they meet a new villain are lackluster because I know who's going to win anyway.

I don't give a fuck about the fight scenes because I know it's always in the main characters' favor. They went head to head with angels when the angels should be invincible with their angelic weapons. 

That's why I told someone that I'll rewatch with a different mindset. Whenever I'm in the mood to watch a full episode of Family Guy, I can see myself enjoying Helluva Boss for what it is. But with my friend telling me that they thought Helluva Boss was better than Hazbin Hotel and a lot fans said that too, I went into it thinking it would hit me like Hazbin Hotel did.


I didn't go in with my arms crossed and resistant to it being better than Hazbin Hotel, I was excited to see something better! I was hyped.


South Park knows it's villains are made to highlight the joke by being dumb. While Helluva Boss tries to have them be both, dumb and cool but it's not working for me.

Adam is a better written villain than Mammon. Adam is seen as dumb at first but we slowly learn he has some smart, evil moves like, Eric Cartman. There's room for the series to show more of that side of him with flashbacks or if he gets reborn in Hell and comes back in the season 2: 


Mammon's job is to listen to the contest songs but it takes him so long to realize the song is about him. "OMG so funny! He didn't know the song was about him because he's that stupid! Lets all laugh at him!" ....okay.


And the episode would've been better if Fizzarolli had sung the song he planned on instead of this random one he just pulled out of his ass. It was very simple and dull. (Like, the Cotton Candy song ๐Ÿคฎ)

Fizzarolli could've still said he quit and actually give his fans a song he worked hard on. The shitty "Fuck You" song could've been in the credits or something if the writers really fuckin' wanted it in the episode.

Also, I hate that character's voice. It's hard to listen to. I know it's the same voice actor for Adam so it's not the voice actor's fault. It's the voice director's fault for telling the him to sound like that. Like, with Mass Effect, the voice for male Shepard is a good VA but I'm not a fan of male Shepard's voice. It sounds emotionless and robotic but the VA shows his skills by voicing other characters in the series.


Going from Hazbin Hotel's music to Helluva Boss' music was a big let down. Hazbin Hotel uses their songs for story telling while Helluva Boss just seems to want "catchy" songs to put on Spotify.

Much more creativity was put into each song with Hazbin Hotel. The lyrics for Stayed Gone are strong that just that song alone puts all the songs in Helluva Boss to shame.

Like I've said before, it would've been better if I had watched Helluva Boss before Hazbin Hotel, because it doesn't hold up now.

The only hope now is maybe the creator can hire more professional help for future episodes of Helluva Boss. Because I do like Blitzo but the rest of the story is boring. So, hopefully with all this fame she can hire better writers. If not then maybe Helluva Boss just isn't for me ๐Ÿคท

"Helluva Boss and Hazbin Hotel are incomparable" yet fans who love both do it all the time, as you all can see from the past screenshot with "22 likes"  



"both being set in the same universe with different focuses and characters." Why are they telling me something I already know? I watched it. I didn't just compare the shows based on their art. 

So, I let them know I had seen more than just thumbnails and I told them to "shoo" in the nicest way possible.



"They're both different and that's okay." They thought that was a mic drop line ๐Ÿ˜… When did I say it wasn't okay? Go on, point out where.

We aren't robots that can organize and limit our emotions and thoughts in a way that has been approved by the fandom. That's not how opinions work.

I love horror but hate romance movies.
I love rock but hate country music.
It doesn't matter how different they are. I compare them because I can, it's that simple.

Don't comment on someone's post if all you're basically going to say is, "Don't be mean to Helluva Boss. It's not fair because it's free!" You act like I called it shit but all I said was that I liked Hazbin Hotel better. A mild post and that's all it took to rub you the wrong way?

When a piece of art is out in the world, people can say whatever they want about it. That's the point of art. 


(Thank God, Hazbin Hotel isn't free on Youtube too.)

In Helluva Boss, I like that one song in season 1, episode 2 where he sings to his daughter but the rest are trash. (I listened to them all again before typing this just to be fair and yup, not into them.) And even then, that one song I like is a C tier:


(I like the ones in D tier but I wouldn't listen to them outside of the show.)


Hazbin Hotel nitpicks

I was hoping the fights would be more epic, to show off the animation. I get it's a comedy but it just would've been nice to have some battles go hard. I loved how hilarious it was to see how fast Sir Pentious dies. Loved that! ...I just wish the other fights weren't also trying to be hilarious.

Adam can still talk shit but why can't he do that while the show makes the battle intense? "Look at him missing every hit, isn't it funny?!" ๐Ÿ˜’

His fight with Alastor could have stayed the same but after Adam learns he really is sloppy because he never knew his weaknesses, the show should've shown him more focused and careful with his next fight. 

Lucifer just moving out of the way of Adam's hits was so anti-climatic because it wasn't even a little bit serious. Even if Lucifer was toying with him the fight could've still been awesome. We already had the fight where Adam keeps missing his hits...why do it again? 


The ending could be the same were Lucifer stops attacking, like Charlie wants, and Adam rants and gets stabbed by Niffty. Everyone loved that. It was funny seeing him get stabbed so many times in the back. I just wanted the lead up to that to be epic. Make it exciting while still showing Adam is about to lose.

Just look at this awesome fanart and imagine how cool the fight could've been:


Link



(He doesn't stand a chance but the fight was still serious and intense instead of just silly.)

Adam could've looked powerful even when losing. The fight can show that he's stronger than every character there but one. His fight with Lucifer could've been awesome and then ending with him getting backstabbed like crazy. Like, the fight in The Boys, a random dick punch but then goes right back into being serious. I can totally see Hazbin Hotel doing that!



Link 

I would love to see an epic battle between these characters. I hope Alastor doesn't defeat Vox too easily.

Remember, he only almost beat him. Meaning Alastor tried to kill him but couldn't for some reason. If Alastor was about to kill him but stopped and walked away then that would've been a win. But Valentino said he almost beat Vox so I don't think Alastor let him live.
Vox got away or defended himself well. Or Valentino and Velvette joined the fight and made Alastor run. I can't wait to find out to truth!


Maybe a cool battle that isn't about strength will happen! It would be exciting to see a card game because Hazbin Hotel can take advantage of it's animation to make this a cool looking battle.

I know card game matches are cliche in other shows but with this being a musical and a cartoon, maybe it wont feel cliche? Imagine it being a music video to make it interesting for people who don't know how to play Poker or Blackjack.



Link

I love thinking about how Charlie might try to get the Vees on her side to help with the fight against the angels. And how hard that's going to be. It can be like gathering allies for the Reaper war in Mass Effect!




Link

Would love to see something like this play out into a good fight.

I makes me sad that these pictures are more exciting to look at than the battles that actually happened.

I hope in season 2 they put in the work on making cool battle scenes like they do with their cool music videos. Imagine if the fights in the last episode looked like this:




Imagine the smoothness of the choreography to fights playing out with these vibes and different styles of battles.

Instead of this:



And then the fight was over...

Have the shit talk with good fights. Don't sacrifice cool battles for funny moments when you can have both. (Spoiler for S3 of The Boys but I wanted to link an example of how good comedy can blend into a tense moment. And on the topic of fucking another man's wife and attacking the kids lol)

There's enough funny dialogue in the show already, shock me with the character's moves instead of their insults. It makes serious moments hit harder if the fights and trash talking are also serious. 

But Hazbin Hotel could be a show where the fights are not its strong suit. Maybe I need to accept that the musical "rap battles" and story is where it shines. 

Season 2 will help me see what type of battles Hazbin Hotel is going for because even the fandom is hoping for some big epic fights between certain characters.

Defensive rant

I hate how people forget that Hazbin Hotel is a comedy when they question stuff like: "Why are they allowed to swear in Heaven but Charlie isn't?" and "How have no angels discovered their own weakness?"

For the swearing, that's the point! It's showing how angels can get away with anything just because they got in. While people in Hell need to be twice as good to be worthy of visiting Heaven. 

For the weakness, it's right under their noses and the show laughs at that. The show tells us its funny with Adam's reaction to finding that out.

This show has the same vibe as The Boys and Barry, with it's violence, drama and comedy. Dumb moments are for comedic effect vs "bad writing" because it shows how dumb luck is a thing in those shows. Meanwhile, in other shows everything has to be mind-blowing.

But if everything were mind-blowing in Hazbin Hotel then soon we'll need characters who can blow up a planet to take out the character that can blow up a city and now we have boring overpowered characters in the show....

I get so annoyed with fans of The Boys, complaining about "dumb writing" when characters find out another character likes fucking holes; any hole, in inanimate objects. (Or when a character can clone themselves and fuck themselves.)

The show loves making fun of random fetishes and you would think fans would understand that by now if they made it that far to get to that episode. "The show is nasty for shock value." It showed you that in the very first episode. The Boys isn't for you if you don't like laughing at sex. 

I loved it because no other show would have that as a character's weakness. The Boys made that weakness into the character's lore, that's fucking funny and totally happens where people today get exposed for the most embarrassing shit! Now we get to see it happening to a powerful character in a cool show.

So, Hazbin Hotel giving the angels a weakness that is right under everyone's noses wasn't stupid to me. For a dark comedy, I found it fun and simple. A good way to kinda level the playing field.
No need to complicate a story. And no need to make the story too strict that the weakness needs a deus ex machina. 

Plot holes

I do agree that the dragons weren't used to their full potential but I do love that one of them was killed off right away to show how powerful an angel is. But why didn't the dragon that Charlie was riding keep helping her in the fight? Plot hole.

Why didn't Alastor use a holy weapon against Adam? Is it apart of his deal that he can't? If not, that's a plot hole. 

Why didn't Lucifer join the battle as soon as one of the angels were attacking Charlie and her group? Or why didn't he show up right after Adam first slapped her out of the sky? Or why didn't he stand nearby and wait until he seen Charlie get hit? Plot hole.

What do the Vees mean by "masterless cattle"? Rosie's people? But Rosie, their master, is still alive. No other people belonging to the overlords were affected. Was the fighting and destruction meant to be bigger but was edited down and the lyrics weren't changed? Plot hole. 

All these could be explained later in the series so we'll see.


I'm ranting and nitpicking because I love this show so much. I hope fans reading this can understand that. I'm excited for season 2!

Saturday, December 23, 2023

Theories For The Next Mass Effect

I'm finally ready to share my thoughts on the Mass Effect teasers we got on N7 day. I was just having so much fun hearing and reading theories from other fans to actually focus and record my own theory. Plus, I wanted to wait until after The Game Awards just in case there was another teaser. 

I recorded a podcast episode of my theories in 2021. And since my thoughts have not changed after knowing all these extra clues of what's in the next Mass Effect game, I'm just going to add more details to my theory in this blog post.  

I want a new and improved story

The new picture teaser of the N7 character's silhouette, shows a bar or club.

People kept saying that it could be Omega or the Citadel but there seems to be an Angara so I'm thinking it's a bar in Andromeda or a new club in the Milky Way that we haven't seen yet. I'm just getting frustrated with the fans that want everything recycled. 

I find it exciting thinking of stuff that weren't in any of the other games before. I want new things more than I want cameos of all the old characters. 

It reminds me when fans would complain about the Mass Effect novels for having the information in those books not being fully in the games. And that it's "unfair" or "a bad choice" to force fans to buy books or to miss out completely because not everyone is a reader. I disagree with that bullshit.

If reading hurts your head, just listen to the audio version. If you like podcasts then you can listen to audio books. The novels would be pointless if it added nothing new to the Mass Effect series and only reused the information fans already know.

I love all the novels. They were fun to read and to experience another side of the characters we meet in the games. Shepard and Ryder don't need to know everything. Some things can be just for the fans.

It's good story telling to not let the main hero know everyone's business. That is the shit anime does that I hate. Anime will have all the important characters hiding behind a wall or something while spying on another character having a moment to themselves. A moment that could've been just between them and the viewers. I love stories where characters will NEVER find out about something so, it only hits harder for the viewers during rewatches.

Walter Jr. (Flynn) will never know that his dad thought of Jesse as a second son. That type of bittersweet drama is so delicious.

I want more Mass Effect novels and comics, please! 

I want Andromeda 2

Making the game be based in Andromeda is easier when wanting to respect Mass Effect 3's endings. I would be fine with only seeing Shepard in ME5 on screens and audios. Bring Shepard's voice actors back just to record voice lines Shepard might have said before they died, that fans never heard before. Make Shepard feel legendary after their death. It would give fans such a intense, happy feeling hearing Shepard's voice and their name being mentioned in the next game. But don't actually bring Shepard back!

Having Liara tell our new character stories about Shepard would be more exciting than having Shepard be there in person. Just for them to not be impressed by a new threat because nothing can top the Reapers. Or worse, the story tries to create a bigger and stronger enemy than the Reapers...
Please don't. Dragon Ball Z and Hunter x Hunter (Ant arc) does this and it's annoying. Stories don't need to weaken past villains to make new villains exciting.

Different enemies > Over-powered enemies

(In the main Mass Effect subreddit, there was so much hate and anger about the Angara. Fuck those fans. I really hope they get nothing they want in ME5. It's like the people who still shit on Dragon Age 2 and Cyberpunk 2077. Move on and accept that all three of those games have always had a good story but now it's easier to see that after the game graphic hotfix and updates.)

The extreme happiness I felt was so instant after seeing that the face reveal was just a helmet. I was so glad to not see Shepard. If it was Shepard, they would know what helmet to use. That's not the helmet.

It's a new mystery character! I'm so happy! The pettiness side of my thoughts were saying, "Ha! Fuck anyone who wanted it to be Shepard so bad that they didn't care HOW it made sense." (They could still be right that Shepard really is back but for now, they're wrong!)

"Endings be damned...I want Shepard back, idc how" No! That's not how we should think. We should care about the "how" very much. We should demand good writing because for Mass Effect, I'm here for the story. Not the gameplay. This series isn't Halo and Doom. (I love those games but they zoom through the story to get back to the gameplay as quickly as possible.)

Please don't bring Shepard back, they already came back once and it was exciting. Don't ruin replays of ME2 and ME3!

This is why I wanted a Mass Effect remake more than a remaster. They could've made the ending be more simple where all Shepard has to do is activate the crucible and sit down with Anderson and watch the war end. That's the remake we needed for them to have more freedom in ME5 for Shepard's character. Why rerelease the games and not change the endings just to have ME5 say, "Shepard and their friends are back!"

I hope people who said they don't care how Shepard comes back, all take a breath, calm down and listen to what they are asking for. We don't want Mass Effect to be burned like Star Wars was, just to sell more merch. Please be careful what you wish for!

So, here's why I think all three endings can be canon and not ignored:

-With destroy, Liara being over 600, they had lots of time to rebuild the relays and new Geth. (Goodbye to EDI though.)

-With control, that would be the easiest ending to continue the story from. Shepard's copy controlling the Reapers to rebuild and advance the galaxy. 

-With synthesis, I don't think they need to glow green all the time. I think the glowing was just for players to see something has changed inside the characters. Otherwise, the only clue that something was different is if characters all looked down at their hands and arms to make it obvious they feel different. So, the glow could've just been visual for players to quickly know the change worked. 

Or the glow is canon but the glow was bright when it's fresh but fades (like, skin being red after a fresh tattoo) and that's why it's not showing up on Liara in the teaser.
Or it's just Bioware being sneaky to not spoil anything and just has her not glowing as default. Just like male Shepard was in the trailers but Shepard could also be a woman but she's not shown in the ME1 and ME2 trailers.

Male Shepard isn't the only canon. Just like the destroy ending isn't the only canon.

I'm excited thinking about a very long game! Not because of how long it takes to beat it in one sitting. Long because replaying it, you get a different story by choosing which ending you want to be canon in Mass Effect 5. Three possible story paths. Like, in Cyberpunk 2077 but not just for a different intro but a whole different game feel! 

Like, choosing to be a mage or not in the Dragon Age series. (Or choosing to be a human, elf, dwarf, or qunari.) The game treats you differently base on what your character is. That's what Mass Effect was missing. If ME5 isn't open world, then I could see it having enough room for three story settings in one game!



The bar colors are red and blue which makes me excited for renegade to be back! Also, the paragon shape is in it.

Also, seeing the character that looks like Garrus, I thought maybe this could literally be the afterlife. That all these characters in the picture are dead. I thought of, "Meet me at the bar. I'm buying." The thought of him being there waiting for Shepard either because he died during the Reaper war or after but of old age, is so sweet and sad to think about. I love it!

But I don't see how that would work because where are the Quarians? So, if it's not the afterlife then why no Quarians in this bar? There can't STILL be racism towards Quarians in the Milky Way. Not after that war. So, maybe this bar is taking place in Andromeda and the Quarians are still looked down upon? Because their ark has to have gotten there already, there's a Hanar in the picture.

If it is in the Milky Way why wouldn't they be there? They eat the same food as Turians.
Can't wait to find out!

Do the Jardaan show up in the Milky Way with their Angara creations?

I hope we find out where the Kett came from and who are the Jardaan's enemies. Maybe we fight two wars in the next game? (A really long game like, The Witcher 3!) One war with the Kett then the next with Jardaan's enemies? The Kett seems to not care about the Jardaan's tech so, at least we know they are not connected. And they could come together in ME5. 

Maybe the Jardaan are enemies with their own race? One side doesn't like that they created the Angara but the other side thinks it's important science?

Maybe the Geth made their own ark in private (if the game is in Andromeda)? It could work because it wouldn't need to be as big as the arks for organics. Geth do not use escape pods. Just a few physical Geth would be needed. 

Either they made it before the Reaper war starts and followed the organics to Andromeda without them knowing. Just hoping for a future with them because they got that hope while teaming up with Shepard against the collectors.
Or they started on the ark after Legion gives them the upgrades and it sets out before Shepard picks an ending. Like I said, the ark doesn't need to be big so maybe they made it quickly and quietly. They don't need rest so I can really see this happening. (If we want them to not be affected by the endings.)

Like, how some choose to follow the Reapers in the first game while the rest refused. Maybe some Geth choose to give up on the Milky Way and try for Andromeda?

Or this fun theory I found on Reddit!

And this one from Twitter is fun too!

Sixth ark? Never mentioned in MEA. But it sounded official with them announcing it for the recording. So, I don't think it's shady maybe just a last minute rich person who wanted to go? Or higher ups who knew the Reapers were about to attack? Because the recording is before the war.

Or it could be backup for the benefactor. We know the benefactor is on the nexus because they kill Jien Garson. So, maybe the sixth ark is just their extra backup made to seem official? Geth? Maybe this benefactor is an A.I. in a body like Eva's (EDI's body) to appear human when Ryder and SAM scan the room Jien Garson was murdered in. 

Maybe this benefactor has other A.I. who want to join it. And that's what is in the sixth ark? If so, this benefactor is so exciting! I feel like a big nerd right now, this is so fun!

I love that some people think the masked character could be the benefactor and that this year's teaser trailer takes place in Andromeda. It could be a flashback before they go to Andromeda because the benefactor does contact Alec when he was working on SAM.

Maybe the benefactor is human. Another cool villain like TIM but a woman? I like it. Plus, people are saying that the character in the teaser seems like a villain. Wont show their face in what could be a clear helmet. Because with Shepard's helmet, you could see their eyes.

I love the thought of a renegade hero being advertised than a paragon one again.

It seems the air is going to be toxic in Mass Effect 5.
From the old teaser picture:


Link
To this year's teaser trailer:


Characters wearing masks and helmets. The air looks thick in both the picture and video.

New Mass relay looks like a relay station. Has docks.

"Human defiance." We are seeing the new N7 character or "the villain" in the 2023 teaser looking at a private recording of Liara talking to the Geth? (You can see their arm with the red and white stripe reflection in the bottom left corner of the video. And the effect makes it look like a screen.) It's possible we aren't playing as this character but seeing what could be Liara's enemy.

And our player character will choose who to help? Like, how we got to choose to help Reyes or Slone. "The villain" might not be a main enemy but a smaller scale one. Have to deal with choosing who to team up with first before going after the bigger enemy? The bigger enemy later in that same game or in ME6.  

But if it turns out that IS our player character then I'm so hyped to have our character have a set goal of spying on Liara. Like, how Shepard's set goal is military. They join the military no matter what you choose as a background. Maybe our background is a spy?

Liara could be talking to the Geth with Glyph's (her personal VI assistant) help. Maybe she knows how SAM was made? After the war she has all the time in the world to dive deep into A.I. research. My point is, she could have Glyph translating for her in an implant like the pathfinders use when talking to their SAMs.

Lady Insanity explains it better in her video.

I still feel like Liara walking on a dead Reaper and finding a N7 piece is just a random soldier's piece of armor. She smiles because it makes her think of Shepard. I just don't think she's looking for Shepard. Shepard's body wouldn't be in a snowy area. It would be in space, near or in the destroyed Citadel.

Maybe she's revisiting a dead Reaper to take one last look before leaving to Andromeda? To remember what they faced and fought for? Or old tech that is still useful? Clues to "the villain" that could be following Liara so, she's trying retrace "the villain's" steps?

I just don't think it's Shepard's because Shepard isn't the only one with N7 armor. Red, white and black are not really Shepard's colors. It's the N7 colors. That piece Liara picks up could be from any dead N7 soldier. She looks at it like it's a cool rock she found. Not like she's so happy to have finally found a clue towards Shepard's body. I feel like she would be more excited than how she was.

Feels like just a sweet moment for Liara to be reminded of Shepard.

The teaser photo that looks like a Geth's head is too big to actually be that. It must be a destroyed mass relay. Like, other fans have pointed out. There are Geth corpses in the dirt next to it through so the Mass Effect team knows what their doing by confusing fans with it's shape.

Dead Geth doesn't mean the next game will make destroy canon through, just like showing male Shepard doesn't mean male Shepard is canon. Geth were fighting along side everyone else so, Geth corpses can be a thing in any ending.

Maybe Liara and what seems to be her crew, (maybe the Krogan is Grunt?) are trying to find clues to the N7 masked character? Or she is just looking at an old war field from the Reaper war to reminisce before leaving to Andromeda?

I did a "No Commentary" playthough of Mass Effect Andromeda if you don't feel like playing it. Just sit back and accept the story. It's going to be apart of the next game. Let Shepard go. Andromeda is something new and it's about fresh starts with characters who didn't signup to be in a war but are forced into one. 

I also have a "No Commentary" of the trilogy for the few of you who played MEA but haven't played the older games. Or would like to refresh on the story without replaying it. 

Can't wait for Mass Effect 5 to do something new that both the trilogy and Andromeda hasn't done!

I don't want Andromeda to be a guilty pleasure

"Andromeda isn't perfect but..."
"Despite it's flaws..." 

The trilogy has flaws and isn't perfect either. Just like every other game. If you like Mass Effect Andromeda just say that you like it without the "but."

If you don't like it then just say you don't. But don't delude yourself into thinking that the trilogy is perfect. 

Here are some plot holes in the Mass Effect trilogy:

-Quarian faces being mysterious in a futuristic, advance tech series. No past videos or pictures? Really?

-Being told that there are only three Ardat-Yakshi in existence in ME2 but we find out there's a whole school of them in ME3.

-Was A.I. research illegal before or after the Quarians made the Geth? The trilogy can't make up it's mind on what came first.

-Shepard is never seen using biotics in cutscenes but Bioware does a good job with the Dragon Age series if your character is a mage or not. But for Shepard, they went cheap. Them using biotics would have made them win so many fights with certain characters without the help of their companions.

-All the companions still wear the same outfits they wore in ME2. Even Miranda and Jacob and they are supposed to be in hiding!

-A version of the Rachni queen lives no matter what you choose in the first game. It's a lazy way to do Grunt's quest in ME3.

-Only 2 out of 12 companions from ME2, will join your ship again. Some have good reasons but others are just lazily written reasons.

-Renegade is not balanced well in the first two games. It's just there to be a bully most times. While ME3 perfects it! It's there to be a hardass but not an asshole.

It's the "tough love" personality. Love where a Renegade Shepard cares about their friends but wont let it get in the way of winning the war. (I love that Garrus' character in the game is for him to always understand a Renegade Shepard.)

Again, a remake would've been better than a remaster. Going full renegade isn't fun in the first two games but going full renegade in ME3 is easy. It fits right into what a commander should be.

-There's not many black characters. Yes, this is a problem. MEA is better with showing different skin tones. In the novel, it explain that humans are a mixture of race by this point BUT it should still show darker skin tones anyway. Don't be lazy with this. 

-There's no female versions of the other alien races other than Quarians. MEA fixes this problem! I loved seeing female Turians, Krogans and Salarians everywhere. Another reason I wanted a remake instead of a remaster. Would love to have seen female alien NPCs in the backgrounds, at the very least.

-There is no Geth or Leviathan shown joining the battle on earth. Not even Aria's pirates are shown in the final battle. Players know all our allies are there fighting but it would've been nice to see it.

All the allies you made in MEA show up for the final battle. It made the "point of no return" more satisfying hearing all the allies come help distract the enemies so that my small team can slip through to the main boss. I really wish that same feeling was in ME3.

-Ashley and Miranda are sexualized characters for no reason. (For male players, obviously but you know what I mean.)
The creators "tried" to give a reason for Miranda's looks with her being the "perfect" human. And even has a character point out her outfit during her personal quest but it still doesn't cut it as necessary to her character. She's in a professional setting most of the time. Makes no sense unless it's in the DLC where everyone is on shore leave and she wears a dress. 

Characters can look and act sexy, just put in the work to make it make sense. There needs to be a "right place, right time."

-And lastly, EDI knows everything that goes on around the ship so, why isn't there a conversation with her if you choose to sabotage the cure? Only Garrus talks to you about it.

I would love to see someone who played Mass Effect Andromeda first then played the trilogy, utter the words, "Despites the trilogy's flaws, I really enjoyed it." 

You don't need to add that unless you're talking about a broken game. Like, the first year Cyberpunk 2077 came out. The statement, "despite it's flaws, I really enjoyed it" would THEN make sense. MEA wasn't broken just because people didn't like the new character designs. 

Fallout 4 had so many glitches and bugs and people still loved it. But when MEA has them, it's broken? All open world games will always have glitches. Which is why I really hope ME5 isn't open world! (And DA4!) 

It's okay to express you love a game without trying to make the haters tolerate your statement. 

Anyway, this is the first series that I've kept up with seeing it's development and waiting for clues on it's story. But once we get a full trailer, I will not watch it. I will bookmark it to watch after I played the game but not before. And yes, it will be hard to not look at it but I know I can do it!

I don't like spoiling myself on stories if I know I'm going to buy it anyway. I love discovering what the story is going to be about in games, movies and shows by letting it tell me. Instead of a trailer showing me all the best parts.

The Last Of Us 2 and Cyberpunk 2077's trailers completely spoil character deaths. I'm so glad I don't watch trailers before playing games. All I need is a summary of the story to know if I'm interested in that world.

And I want the Mass Effect team to know that if ME5's story has nothing I listed then I'll still be happy with getting the game. I have faith that the people working on it will treat the story right, no matter what. It's fun to be picky while we can but Shepard or no Shepard, Andromeda or no Andromeda, I'm excited!